Volunteer Outcomes and Impact: The Contributions and Consequences of Volunteering in 4-H

Youth development volunteers are relied upon by many youth organizations to deliver educational programming, and consequently, fulfill organizations’ missions. Our study explored the consequences of volunteering in youth services by focusing on volunteer outcomes (consequences of volunteering on the volunteer) and volunteer impacts (volunteers’ contributions to the organization). We collected 1,245 open-ended responses to 2 questions from adults who served as volunteers in the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program. We applied iterative inductive thematic analysis without a pre-existing coding scheme to each question independently. Volunteers described their impacts on 4-H as expanding and maintaining programs for children, providing support to and teaching youth, and helping to realize youth outcomes. By volunteering, adults reported outcomes including developing skills, improving wellbeing, and deepening connections with others.


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"surprisingly little attention has been paid to the actual consequences of volunteer service for individuals' physical and/or psychological well-being" (p. 115). They found that those who invested more hours in volunteer service also had greater levels of happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of mastery, physical health, and lower depression. Wilson (2012) provided an updated literature review summarizing volunteer outcomes in three areas: (a) mental health and illness, (b) physical health, and (c) socioeconomic benefits. Wilson argued that volunteering protected against symptoms of depression while augmenting psychological resources (e.g., buffering against stress, enhancing mastery experiences), improved social connections/ friendships, and was associated with lower levels of morbidity and mortality. More recently, Stukas et al. (2016) found, from a survey of Australians, that those who were motivated to volunteer for other-oriented reasons, such as reaffirming relationships or to learn more about other people, had higher levels of social connectedness, self-esteem, trust in others, selfefficacy, and well-being (e.g., relationships, health, achievements in life). Those who volunteered for self-oriented reasons, such as advancing their careers or distracting themselves from personal problems, were more likely to have lower levels for each indicator. Few empirical papers focus on outcomes realized by those who volunteer in youth development, even though this form of volunteer is very common in the United States. Questions remain about if, and how, volunteers may experience similar or differing outcomes in a youth services context compared to other domains of volunteer activity.

Youth Development Volunteerism
Youth development volunteers are relied upon in a variety of organizations, including Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H Youth Development, and Camp Fire (Wymer, 1998). In many organizations, volunteers deliver educational programming, and in doing so, mediate youth development outcomes, and consequently fulfill the mission of these youth organizations (O'Brien, 2017). Due to their critical role and given the number of volunteers utilized in this sector, there is a need to better understand volunteerism in youth development organizations for purposes of recruitment, retention, support, and acknowledgement. Cooperative Extension, a partnership among the USDA, 100 public land-grant universities, and local governments (USDA, 2016). Volunteers are relied upon to design, facilitate, and deliver educational youth programs and complete administrative tasks (Fritz et al., 2003;White & Journal of Youth Development | http://jyd.pitt.edu/ | Vol. 15 Issue 4 DOI 10.5195/jyd.2020.847 Youth Development Volunteer Outcomes and Impact 10 Arnold, 2003). 4-H volunteers report spending an average of 1 to 5 hours per month in direct contact with youth (Larson Nippolt et al., 2012) providing youth development experiences that otherwise would not have been offered. Larson Nippolt et al.'s (2012) survey research found volunteering in 4-H provided opportunities for personal growth, increased self-confidence, improved social skills, increased community connections, learning new subject matter, and building social capital with their community. Hutchins et al. (2002)  Little other empirical research focuses on the consequences of volunteering, but rather on the antecedents and motivations of volunteer roles, experiences, and satisfaction.

Need for the Present Study
In the present study, we focused on two areas of need for further investigation: utilizing qualitative methods to allow for emergent themes and focusing on youth development volunteers (one of many domains). What little empirical literature exists exploring the consequences of volunteering generally does not differentiate between volunteer domains and has instead merged outcomes, including volunteering in religious, education or youth service, social or community service, health care, and social and political domains (e.g., Wilson, 2012).
Not all domains that utilized volunteers' roles are equivalent. The consequences of volunteering on both the volunteer and the organization will vary depending on the context. For example, one would not expect a volunteer helping as a ticket collector at a 1-day sporting event to realize the same types of outcomes or have the affordances to make the same types of impacts as a volunteer helping in a leadership role for 3 years in a healthcare nonprofit. Documenting outcomes of volunteerism in general is important; however, it overlooks important environmental factors leading to contextually bound outcomes. We sought to fill a gap and explore the consequences of volunteering in youth service, particularly in a 4-H youth development context. We employed qualitative research methods, in contrast with previous research which utilized quantitative methods (e.g., Stukas et al., 2016;Thoits & Hewitt, 2001). Our emergent themes were generated qualitatively from participants themselves rather than being defined a priori.
Our qualitative approach allowed volunteers to respond with any number of outcomes they wanted to communicate and thereby were not limited to pre-identified items. This allowed participants to share their lived experiences through their own voices.

Methodology
We explored what volunteers said about their impacts and outcomes by volunteering in the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program. Specifically, we used inductive thematic analysis to analyze responses to the following open-ended questions: (a) Please share what you felt was the most important contribution you made to the 4-H program since being a volunteer (impact); and (b) Please share the biggest effect 4-H has had on your personal development (outcome).
These two questions were part of a larger study to learn about the experiences and attitudes of 4-H adult volunteers. The larger investigation utilized a 24-item survey informed by a previous study assessing 4-H volunteer competencies, experiences, and attitudes (Junge et al., 1999).
Our adapted survey asked respondents to report their volunteer involvement (number of years volunteering and roles), training they received (including in-person and online), their experience volunteering (perceived changes in the organization, its leadership), and demographic information (including age, gender, race, and level of education completed). The survey was reviewed by paid staff and revised based on feedback; this served as a check on face validity.
The final survey was sent electronically using Qualtrics to 4-H adult volunteers during the end of the 2016 program year. We received responses from 2,107 volunteers; the entire volunteer corps (total 9,714) was invited to participate (22% response rate; note that many adults shared the same email address so only 7,953 email invitations were sent). The mean age of respondents was 48 years with 84% female and 16% male. The primary roles served in the 4-H organization were as a project leader (86%), on a club or county committee (44%) and as a 4-H club leader (39%). The mean number of years volunteering in 4-H was 9 (range from 1 to 73 years). Participant demographics are summarized in Table 1.
We analyzed responses from 1,245 individuals who answered either one or both open-ended questions. We applied iterative inductive thematic analysis without a pre-existing coding scheme to each question independently (Braun & Clarke, 2006). We applied separate codes for each distinct idea or concept contained in the response. Specifically, to begin, we selected a representative subsample consisting of 2% of the sample based on six factors (age, gender, years volunteering, race/ethnicity, level of education, and geographic location). The first three authors independently reviewed and created low inference codes anchored to the data, i.e., initial coding (Corbin & Strauss, 2015). We came to agreement on these initial codes, code definition, relationships between codes, and application of codes to the data. When disagreements arose, we discussed until reaching consensus. We repeated this process twice Journal of Youth Development | http://jyd.pitt.edu/ | Vol. 15 Issue 4 DOI 10.5195/jyd.2020.847 Youth Development Volunteer Outcomes and Impact 12 more with a second and third subsample. In each iteration, the coding scheme was modified with codes added or merged. Next, we each coded a separate subsample of 80 responses, and co-coded approximately 20% of these responses from the other two coders. The final step was to code the remaining responses. Each coder also coded approximately 10% of another's block.
Our process relied on intercoder agreement, including "intensive group discussion, 'dialogical intersubjectivity,' coder adjudication, and simple group consensus as an agreement goal" (Saldana, 2016, p. 37). We discussed disagreements and conflict and revised code definition; twice during the process, each coder then went back through their assigned responses to affirm code application. After every response was coded, we reviewed relationships between codes and grouped similar codes, which became our emergent themes. We checked for, but did not identify, difference across demographic variables (sex, years volunteering, and educational attainment) by comparing the proportion of code applications within each demographic variable code-by-code. For example, 28% of responses were coded with "sense of gratification from working with youth and adults." Of those code applications, 42 responses were from males (16% of the total male responses) and 253 were from females (18% of the total female responses). Resource key leader 20 County council or management board 26 Sectional or regional council 12 After-school or mentoring leader 9 Other 12 Mean age in years (SD) 48.

Findings
Responses demonstrated variegated richness of contributions made to the program (impacts) and outcomes experienced from their service.

Volunteer Impact
In total, 1,219 volunteers shared what they felt was the most important contribution they made to the 4-H Program since being a volunteer (average word count was 15; median word count was 11). Sixty percent of responses were marked with one code, 30% with two codes, and 10% with three or more codes. Volunteers reported contributing by taking an action to improve the program (45%, labeled "Program Focused Practice"), through one-on-one interactions (32%, labeled "Youth Focused Practice"), or by serving in a role (21%). Fewer reported contributing to supporting youth outcomes, including knowledge and skills (26%), youth development (15%), or identity and life trajectory (5%). See Table 2. Expanding programming (e.g., initiating new activities) 9 Being dedicated, giving time, and being committed to 4-H 6 Maintaining programming (e.g., ensuring programs continue) 6 Generalized support (non-specific) 4 Providing support with logistics (e.g., organizing meetings) 4 Implementing promising organizational leadership practices 4 Fostering a welcome and inclusive environment 3 Engaging 4-H in the community 2 Other 5 Theme 2: Youth-Focused Practice 32 Engaging and teaching youth 11 Mentorship and guidance to youth 10 Sharing one's passion and expertise 4 Mentorship and guidance to adults 3 Other 4 Theme 3: Contributing to Youth Outcomes -Knowledge and Skills 26 Content and project-specific 13 Leadership 5 Public Speaking 2 Responsibility 1 Other 5 Supporting youth in realizing their potential 6 Other (e.g., maturity, growth mindset) 10 Theme 5: Contributing to Youth Outcomes -Identity and Life Trajectory 5 Theme 2: Youth-Focused Practice Volunteers described a variety of actions aimed at supporting and helping youth. Principal among these were engaging and teaching youth, including pedagogical practices, educational methods, and teaching youth specific subject matter. To a lesser extent, volunteers shared how they strengthened youth participation and/or involvement by "helping children learn by doing" (Female, 53, 16 years).
Two codes which commonly co-occurred were teaching youth and a specific skill or content area; for example, "teaching kids leather crafting" (Female, 52, 11 years) and "teaching kids to be safe around horses, help 4-H kids improve their riding skills" (Female, 31, 2 years).
Volunteers also reported providing mentorship and guidance to youth, e.g., "being available to be a resource and support to my 4-H kids!" (Female, 64, 4 years). A smaller number shared their passion and expertise.

Themes 7 And 8: Overall Program Contributions
Volunteers reported growing youth and adult enrollment. One explained, "[I] took a club that was declining in numbers with enrollment around 45 youth to one that is now active with enrollment of just over 100 youth" (Male, 53, 12 years). Additionally, respondents stated that they improved the enjoyment, excitement, or learning environment of programs. These volunteers depicted their impacts on fulfilling the organization's mission, sometimes in vague terms, such as "engaging kids to have fun and learn something new" (Female, 33, 2 years).

Volunteer Outcomes
In total, 1,060 volunteers shared the biggest effect 4-H had on their personal development (average word count was 16; median word count was 11). Sixty-three percent of responses were marked with one code, 26% with two codes, and 11% with three or more codes.
Volunteers reported outcomes such as developing skills, improving indicators of well-being, affection or joy at working with others, and social development. See Table 3. Interpersonal skills (e.g., communication, conflict management, teamwork) 10 Pedagogy and teaching, child development 10 Public speaking 9 Organization and time management 7 Content and project-specific 5 Responsibility 2 Theme 2: Well-being (emotional growth, identity, life trajectory) 31 General (non-specific) 10 Confidence (self-esteem, less shy, sense of pride) 9 Space to share knowledge, expertise, and talents 4 Pivotal experience (4-H helps shape life trajectory) 4 Expanding horizons (4-H affording new experiences) 3 Sense of responsibility to be a good role model for youth 2 Theme 3: Sense of gratification from working with youth and adults 28 Theme 4: Social development (deepening relationships with family, friends, community) 24 Theme 5: Relationship with 4-H (sense of belonging, safe place) 7 Theme 1: Skill Development Over half of the volunteers reported strengthening skills. The most common skill was leadership, in the form of developing leadership skills and being involved in leadership roles or positions. Volunteers used phrases like "4-H taught me to be a leader" (Female, 25 years old, 2 years of volunteer service), "being comfortable taking charge, even in ambiguous situations" (Male, 25, 6 years; co-coded with confidence), and "the program has helped me to become a better leader" (Female, 42, 3 years). Volunteers also shared that they improved interpersonal skills including communication, patience, conflict management, and teamwork. Interestingly, the most common interpersonal skill reported was developing patience: "has taught me more patience" (Female, 72, 32 years) and "improved patience with youth" (Male, 55, 7 years). Not

Theme 3. Sense of Gratification From Working With Youth and Adults
Volunteers described their experience working with youth as enjoyable, wonderful, and rewarding. Respondents said things like, "it is very rewarding and I enjoy seeing the growth and development in the youth" (Female, 34, 6 years), "joy of seeing the youth improve and grow in something they enjoy" (Female, 46, 10 years), and "knowing I can make an impact on a kid's life" (Female, 44, 2 years).

Implications for Research
Volunteer Impact Is Not Only Economic.
In contrast with the large base of literature quantifying the economic value of volunteer labor (e.g., Bowman, 2009;Handy & Srinivasan, 2004;Salamon et al., 2011), no participant in our study explicitly discussed their volunteer contribution as economic value, how they helped the organization's bottom line, or replaced paid staff labor. Our findings suggest that communicating volunteer value as a dollar figure is inconsistent with how volunteers themselves describe their contribution. Instead, volunteers recognized that they provided important and meaningful service to expand and maintain programs, expand service to clientele that otherwise would not have been served, and help the organization fulfill its mission. Participants described their efforts, time, actions, and/or support to realize the organization's mission to help youth reach their full potential. Communicating the value of volunteers through their actions may not result in an easy-to-communicate numerical value, but honors and privileges volunteers' own values, and ultimately has amplified capacity to achieve its core mission. Similar to Grant et al. (2020), we argue that organizations should explore alternative, non-economic, methods to communicate the value of volunteer efforts. Doing so will likely assist organizations with volunteer retention, support, acknowledgement and recruitment of new volunteers. Future research might explore multiple methods to document volunteer value, perhaps triangulating responses from volunteers with observations from clientele, paid staff, and organizational senior leadership.

Volunteer Outcomes Specific to Education and Youth Development Context
The existing literature categorized multiple outcomes from volunteer service (from all domains), including strengthened civic skills, improved social connectedness, improved physical health, improved mental health, and socioeconomic benefit (Wilson, 2000;Wilson, 2012). We found evidence for some, but not all, of these outcomes (see Table 4). Two of the prevailing themes in our study-developing skills and improving well-being-have generally been combined in the literature as well-being or mental health and included indicators such as self-esteem, life satisfaction and happiness, and mastery (Stukas et al., 2016;Thoits & Hewitt, 2001;Wilson, 2012). Mojza and colleagues (2010) argued that volunteering promotes mastery, learning, and new competencies. Wilson (2012) described mastery as "one component of subjective wellbeing" (p. 198). In our study, participants were often explicit in the skills they strengthened, such as leadership and interpersonal skills; pedagogy, teaching, and child development; and ability to speak in public. The prevalence to which participants reported skill development suggests that volunteering in 4-H provided significant mastery experiences. A contribution of our study is detailing specific skills developed in the context of being a youth development volunteer. These types of skills may or may not be developed in other types of volunteer domains. Additionally, participants reported strengthening their self-esteem, although we subsumed this concept into a confidence code. Developing confidence was described as trying new things, improved self-image, pride, and becoming less shy. Volunteers also described their volunteer experience as affording space to share their knowledge, expertise, and talents.
Developing confidence and being able to share one's expertise may provide a sense of meaningfulness and fulfillment, an important indicator of well-being (E. E. Smith, 2017).
Participants shared powerful narratives describing how volunteering shaped their life's trajectory or expanded their horizons. These narratives offered a glimpse into a powerful process of life satisfaction and well-being not fully understood. Future research might investigate processes The divergence in our findings from Stukas et al. (2016), Thoits andHewitt (2001), Wilson (2000;2012), and Wilson and Musick (1999), and the convergence with Grant et al. (2020) and Larson relevant skills such as leading meetings, teaching content, and organizing functions (Fritz et al., 2003;White & Arnold, 2003). These were all skills gained or strengthened by the volunteers in our study. Additionally, the nature of youth development work can be deeply connecting; a core element of youth development is having youth form a positive, sustained, and trusting relationship with a caring adult (Roth & Brooks-Gunn, 2016). As expected, youth development volunteers in our study reported developing a sense of gratification from working, and building relationships, with youth. Third, the history of the 4-H youth organization, allows for intergenerational involvement (i.e., volunteers were often involved in 4-H as youth), which may afford prospects for the sense of belonging to and willingness to contribute to the organization.
Future research in youth development may want to more deeply explore the two prevailing themes-developing skills and improving well-being, with specific attention to how developing relationships may enhance adult well-being.   Nippolt et al., 2012;Grant et al., 2020) or did not feel it was the "biggest effect" as asked (present study). Future research on volunteer outcomes in a youth development context should explore the full range of outcomes found in previous empirical work.

Implications for Practice
The findings from our study may be used by professionals to market and recruit volunteers and structure volunteer roles to retain their services. First, youth development professionals now have empirical evidence demonstrating the benefits of volunteering with 4-H (and more generally, working with young people). Several land-grant universities already use these types of messages to recruit volunteers. The results from our study may inform the development of targeted messaging that provide a better fit with a youth development context and are more relevant to potential adult volunteers. For example, while statements such as "individuals who volunteer experience greater health benefits" (Crawson, 2017) is accurate if considering the broader volunteerism literature, health benefits were not one of the outcomes shared by participants in our study. Instead, professionals may want to develop messages around skill development, such as "you will also be able to learn and practice personal leadership skills" (University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, 2020).
Second, the results from our study may be used to help retain volunteer services, by tailoring volunteer roles and empowering volunteers to make organization impacts, thereby improving their satisfaction and feelings of accomplishment. Motivating volunteers happens by improving feelings of solidarity (interpersonal and social connections) and purposiveness (feelings of satisfaction) (Maehr & Braskamp, 1986;Vroom, 1982). Rouse and Clawson (1992) found that adult volunteers were motivated by purposive incentives like helping their organization, satisfaction from volunteering, and feeling like they made a difference in their community. Tailoring positions so volunteers have opportunities to develop meaningful impacts may also attract and retain volunteers. Seeing how volunteers tend to emphasize the feeling of community belonging, professionals may focus on providing volunteers with those experiences and less on bureaucratic work (e.g., paperwork, policies).
Finally, while the target audience for youth development organizations is young people, we know that learning and development do not cease in adulthood. Youth development professionals and adult volunteers alike continue to learn and grow over the course of their lifetimes. We should recognize

Considerations and Limitations
One aspect we did not fully explore was relationships between contributions and outcomes. Future research might use alternate approaches to fully investigate the relationships between volunteer contributions to the organization and the outcomes experienced by volunteers themselves. As with any self-report methodology, there may be issues with participant honesty, introspective ability, response bias, and selection bias. Additionally, we included only youth development volunteers in the California 4-H Youth Development Program, so applying our findings to other youth development volunteers must be undertaken with caution. Furthermore, we favored occurrence of codes rather than the intensity of the experience upon the individual. In other words, many volunteers reported developing skills (so it become a prominent theme) while others reported their volunteer role shaping their life's trajectory. The latter may have been a deeper outcome, but the methods we employed would not allow this to be assessed.